China covers large areas and has a great population. 【小题1】 Recently, another difference between northerners and southerners became a hot one: the way they shop at markets.

【小题2】 It is normal for them to buy half a Chinese cabbage, two potatoes and 0.25 kilograms of beef at a time.

However, one may be laughed at if he does this in the north. 【小题3】 Also, you can buy a very small amount of fruit, such as a single apple or pear, each time in the south. 【小题4】 But shop owners in the north hardly offer such service. And many fruits are sold in baskets and boxes.

The difference could be due to (由于) the different weather. Food can be kept for a long time in the north, as it is usually cold and dry there. 【小题5】 But the hot and wet weather in the south make southern Chinese buy just enough food for one meal or one day, or else the food may go bad.

When you speak to foreigners, what will you do if you can’t understand their languages? Will you use your body language to help you, or just say sorry to them and then go away? Learning spoken language is very important, but learning local gestures (手势) is also very necessary.

I often use gestures to communicate with someone whose language I don’t know. We use our hands to talk with each other. Although we don’t understand the other’s words, our hand movements make our conversation more necessary.

However, gestures aren’t always clear. Different gestures may have different meanings in different countries and cultures.

In many countries, people move their hands at someone to call him to come near. In the United States, people usually move hands at someone with their palms (手掌) up and sometimes move just one finger. But in many countries in Asia, hand movements like that would be impolite. In Asia, many people move hands at someone with their palms down using all fingers.

Do   you   use   your   thumb,   your   thick   short   finger   to   make   gestures?   In   western countries, “thumbs-up” means agreement. But it is very rude in parts of Africa.

If you want to say “OK” in America, you can make a circle (圆) with the thumb and the second finger. But in France, it means “zero”, and it is very rude in many other countries.

You can use your second finger to point at something but not at somebody in the United States. However, in some parts of Europe, Asia and Africa, pointing at something with one’s second finger is not polite.

“V” form is often used when people take photos. But using two fingers to make up the “V”   shape means “peace” in the West.

The last example is that people in parts of Asia point to their noses to mean themselves, but people in western countries usually point to their chests.

Gestures are important, but also have different meanings.

Culture shock is often described as feeling confused (困惑的) or nervous in a foreign place. It’s very common for international students.

Let’s take international students studying in the US for example. 【小题1】 This is not only because they feel nervous about their ability to communicate in English, but also because they need to adapt (适应) to a different style of learning, such as taking a discussion-based class.

Many international students feel OK with the occasional (偶尔的) embarrassing mistakes at a restaurant or store, but they start to feel strong culture shock when they are often faced with some uncomfortable or unfamiliar situations. “Americans are very outspoken (坦率的) about everything,” said Chau, a student from Vietnam. “【小题2】”

“When I first came to America from China, it was hard for me to understand that Americans drink ice water all year round.” said Jessica, another student. “【小题3】” she added. “This is sometimes inconvenient for me, because I don’t have time to deal with things during the working days.”

Getting adapted to social customs is just one part of adapting to life in America. If international students plan to get an internship (实习) when studying in the US, there is also the possibility for culture shock at work. 【小题4】

No matter what the situation is, international students can try to use these tips to help them feel better and get over it. 【小题5】